The invention generally relates to enteral feeding systems, and in particular, to an enteral feeding pump system.
In general, a fluid pump has a mechanism which imparts force on fluid contained within an enclosed volume. This enclosed volume has output and input tubes through which the forced fluid is expelled and replaced. In the case of enteral feeding, liquid nutrient is accurately delivered into the patient gastrointestinal tract at a controlled rate. Standard versions of enteral feeding pump systems utilize disposable tubing sets which include a peristaltic pumping section. This peristaltic section is installed in tension against a rotor, which moves fluid from a source, through the pump and into the patient. Tubing sets of this design are relatively higher cost than ones manufactured to the design specified in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,449,501, assigned to Alcor Scientific Inc.
A pumping system using pumping sets with a pre-formed coil configuration according to the original invention installed as an accessory to a pump with linear actuator mechanism and output and input pinch valves has been demonstrated to have equivalent performance at reduced cost. The pre-formed coil is symmetrical along the central diametric axis. In its simplest embodiment, it is possible for a pump user to install the pre-formed tubing in either of two orientations. One case will allow fluid to flow correctly from the source container to the patient connection. The other would result in incorrect reverse fluid flow from patient to source container.